Thursday, 27 August 2015

if i could do just one near perfect thing i'd be happy

I bought a Belle & Sebastian CD early last month and listened to it on repeat for a few days. The simple admiration for nature and appreciation of love's existence in art matched what had been on my mind this summer. I was obsessed with the lyrics but the only way to really convey them in a post was through screencaps from "God Help The Girl" directed by Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch and featuring his music. As much as I love Belle & Sebastian, the film was disappointing. It was beautiful at times but the sad girl narrative is worn out and it glamourised mental illness in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. It's a cute film, but it could have addressed some of the issues in a more educated and sensitive way.

Summer is almost over now, but I started this post a few weeks ago when everyday the world seemed bright green, not grey. I made some vague and easy to accomplish goals at the beginning of the summer so that I would not be disappointed at the end of it. Antonio wrote them out originally as general rules for life, but I adapted some of them for the summer:

1. Be with nature wherever you are. Climb trees, lie in the grass (even if you think it might be wet) and genuinely marvel at the sky always.

4. Keep dancing. On your own, with a friend, with your dog, indoors, outdoors, every which way.

5. Don't waste time hating you.

I want to carry this ethos through all the seasons. Next month I'll be near the Peak District and I'll have lots of new books, music and films to discover. Belle & Sebastian's songs often sound sad, but I think that they're all very hopeful. They remind you that no matter what happens and no matter how lonely you are there's still nature, books, music and films. I've been thinking of things more organically. I walk and run more to be with nature than to ~lose weight or anything like that and I read/watch/listen to expand my understanding of the world instead of feeling in competition with other people who have read/seen/listened to more than me. This post got cheesy very quickly, but it's truuee (I say with exaggerated gesticulation.)

I'm still accepting submissions for the next issue of my zine, Girl Gangs and Gladioli. The original deadline was the end of August, but don't worry if you miss it. It's moving quite slowly but as long as I get done before I go to uni then it's fine. All submissions are welcome, but I am especially looking for visual (photography, drawings etc.) pieces. Send them all to sophie.wilson09a@hotmail.co.uk.

3 comments:

I really really love those "general rules of life/goals for the end of summer" list you've got. I think they're exactly the things I haven't accomplished this summer, and am going to try to instead conduct it over this year.

Also I will be sending you some illustrations hopefully for your zine!

ABOUT

Hi I’m Sophie. I’m a writer and freelance fashion journalist based in Kent/London. I keep this blog to document my interests and various style inspirations. You can contact me at sophie.wilson09a@hotmail.co.uk